Neoclassical Desk & Bookcase, ca. 1820
Watch
GUEST:
It's at least from the, before the 1840s.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
It was in the Samuel Morse family, and...
APPRAISER:
The inventor of the telegraph.
GUEST:
The inventor of the telegraph.
APPRAISER:
Famous, famous guy.
GUEST:
Yes-- his daughter married a landowner in Puerto Rico, and I believe her husband, Mr. Lynn, bought this desk for her in England and had it shipped to the island.
APPRAISER:
I see.
GUEST:
And because they lived kind of out in the wild, they didn't have a way to protect their things, so this desk has lots of secret compartments.
APPRAISER; Okay.
GUEST:
I don't even know if I've seen them all, for them to hide their money and their papers, because there were thieves in the island.
APPRAISER:
Okay. And you've inherited this?
GUEST:
My mother bought this in the '70s in California.
APPRAISER:
Okay, okay.
GUEST:
And it had a letter in it that was written in 1935 by one of the descendants of the Morse family.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's one of the most fascinating pieces I've ever seen, I have to tell you.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
And the more you look at it, the more treasures you find. Look at that. Isn't that great?
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
And this was maybe on a plantation?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Because you open up some of these doors, and you have notations about bills, what they kept in here-- folios and records and journals on the farm, on the plantation.
GUEST:
Oh, right?
APPRAISER:
Then you have these figured panels in this very Neoclassical style, with this satinwood inlay with these figures. And the overall form with the cylinder front, and it has these spade feet on the bottom, which are perfectly formed, all of that points towards the Baltic states, Northern Europe, around 1820. Look at this figure. She is holding a staff, and that's Athena, the goddess of wisdom.
GUEST:
The goddess of wisdom.
APPRAISER:
Exactly, with the owl here.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And on the left side, this is Hera, who is the goddess of marriage. And this is a little temple here. This is a brickwork wall, which goes with the whole architectural idea. And you push this with your finger here, and then now, if you go underneath here, this pops and comes out.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And what we have here is a spring lock.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So I push my finger through here and it pops through.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And in the back is an iron spring.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
So it's all spring-loaded. And then if we push this panel in here, this comes out.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
And here's another... I have never seen this. Here's another drawer.
GUEST:
Oh, wow!
APPRAISER:
You didn't know that was there?
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
Now, I checked in there earlier. Unfortunately, there's no gold in there.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
But it's just incredible how many secret panels. This upper section...
GUEST:
Oh, no!
APPRAISER:
...to hold little receipts, comes out.
GUEST:
Okay, wow.
APPRAISER:
Look at that. And back here, in fact, you pull this out, and...
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
...hidden back here are little tiny secret drawers in the back.
GUEST:
Oh, no.
APPRAISER:
So...
GUEST:
I had a feeling we hadn't seen all the compartments.
APPRAISER:
This would have held probably a little porcelain figure, a piece of silver there. And these are all drawers, with secret ones behind. There must be...
GUEST:
Behind them, there's more?
APPRAISER:
There's more. And look at this.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
This pulls out. Did you know that came out?
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
This is where they really kept the treasure, back here.
GUEST:
Oh, no!
APPRAISER:
Look at that.
GUEST:
Oh, my God!
APPRAISER:
I mean...
GUEST:
Oh, that's too much.
APPRAISER:
Well, I'll bet not many burglars found that one.
GUEST:
That's fantastic.
APPRAISER:
While the hardware is old, and it's perfectly for this piece, it's about the third set of hardware.
GUEST:
Oh, really?
APPRAISER:
You've taken good care of it, though. I mean, these things are pretty minor, you know?
GUEST:
Oh, good.
APPRAISER:
Now, do you have any idea of the value on this?
GUEST:
No. I know that my mother paid $750, and I've always thought, "Well, it's got to be worth more than that."
APPRAISER:
Well, because of the complexity of this and all the secret drawers, and all this wonderful inlay, if I were insuring this, I'd put the figure at about $20,000.
GUEST:
(laughing) Oh, my God. Okay. $20,000 I should insure it. All right, I shall do that.
APPRAISER:
It's a beautiful piece.
GUEST:
Wow.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
